No. Sick leave is used for very specific purposes as outlined in the various MOUs and in the Ordinance Code.
If you believe that the employee is not sick, such as when an employee had previously requested the day off and was denied, you may advise the employee that you are not approving the sick leave. You will need to advise the employee that they must provide a statement from their physician that states that they were seen that day and that they are physically unable to work any part of the day, in order for you to reconsider their request. Remember, you are not a doctor, so you cannot determine if the doctor’s reasons are correct, but you should look carefully at the note to ensure the dates of illness correspond with the dates of leave.
Bereavement Leave
The County Ordinance Code and the various MOUs provide that sick leave may be used for the employee’s preparation for or attendance at the funeral of a member of the immediate family. Immediate family is defined as parent, spouse, domestic partner, son, daughter, sibling, stepchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild.
Even though sick leave may not be used for attending the funeral of individuals who do not meet the definition above, use of accrued vacation, compensatory time or holiday time is appropriate.
Managers and supervisors are strongly urged to make every effort to allow employees to be excused from work for attending funerals of friends and relatives who are not members of the immediate family.